Allen Iverson's Mom Asked John Thompson To Save Her Son's Life

Before Allen Iverson ever touched an NBA court, his career almost ended. In February 1993, Iverson was allegedly involved in an altercation at a bowling alley in his hometown of Hampton, Virginia. During the scuffle -- which featured Iverson and a black group tussling with a white group -- Iverson allegedly struck a women in the head with a chair. Iverson's friends maintained his innocence.

Iverson and three friends were arrested. He drew a 15-year sentence with 10 years suspended. Although he was granted clemency after four months in prison by then-Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder (and the Virginia Court of Appeals overturned his conviction in 1995), the damage was done. Iverson had been the No. 1 recruit in the country in both basketball and football, but the scholarship offers went cold. He was forced to spend his senior year at Richard Milburn High School, a private school for at-risk students, as opposed to attended Bethel, where he had emerged as a star athlete.

"When I got into trouble, it was over," Iverson recalled at a recent Thuzio event. "Nobody recruited me in the country. Every school stopped recruiting me. Even the Division II schools, Division III, prep schools, everybody."

Ann Iverson, who gave birth to her son at age 15, was not about to throw away his shot.

"My mom went up to Georgetown to talk to Coach [John] Thompson and basically said, 'I need you to save my kid's life because if he stays down there, he's gonna go to jail forever and he's gonna die,'" Iverson said.

John Thompson offered a full scholarship, and Iverson was the Big East Rookie of the Year in 1994-95. He was a first-team All-American as a sophomore in 1995-96, then became the first player to ever leave a Thompson team early, entering the 1996 NBA Draft, where he was picked No. 1 overall. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1996-97.